


It’s a Shame the Distortion Doesn’t Tell Knock Knock Jokes

by CalicoCats



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Georgie and melanie are together but it’s not the main focus, set sometime after ep 157
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:40:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23131825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalicoCats/pseuds/CalicoCats
Summary: Helen pays a visit to Georgie’s flat after Melanie quits her job.
Relationships: Helen Richardson & Georgie Barker
Comments: 5
Kudos: 43





	It’s a Shame the Distortion Doesn’t Tell Knock Knock Jokes

Someone knocks on the front door, waking Georgie from a dream lined in eyes that’s already slipping away from her. She considers ignoring them and going back to sleep, but they knock again and again. Georgie reluctantly gets out of bed to check who’s knocking at this hour. 

Melanie stirs and the Admiral repositions himself to account for Georgie leaving, but neither wake up. Good thing too, considering Georgie’s phone says it’s 2:38 in the morning.

Georgie opens the door and doesn’t know who she’s looking at first. Her vision is fuzzy from just waking up, but as her eyes refocus she finds she still doesn’t fully recognize who’s at the door, knowing the face but not remembering the name.

The woman outside her flat is wearing something that could be described as business casual, but Georgie can’t pin any of the colors in the outfit down. Every time she looks back it’s a different hue or shade, sometimes patterned and sometimes swirling into each other. It’s distracting, and Georgie guesses she might be some sort of door to door saleswoman who hasn’t made her pitch yet. Georgie beats her to the punch and asks, “Do you need anything?” 

The woman tilts her head, considering this, and Georgie notices her clothes don’t fold they just... overlap? They stay smooth and unwrinkled as she moves, but still allow her movement. It’s giving Georgie a small headache.

“I’m Helen,” The woman says eventually, and it clicks where Georgie’s seen her before, “Is Melanie here?”

“You babysit my cat,” Georgie says.

“I did. How is the Admiral?” Helens voice echoes over itself in a contained loop. It doesn’t help the headache.

“He’s fine. Sleeping,” Georgie isn’t fearful-can’t be, at any rate- but she’s still wary and tired. Helen is someone Melanie knew from work, and given Melanie’s former job that doesn’t give her any comfort.

Melanie seems to trust Helen, at least enough to have her take care of the Admiral. Georgie holds back a sigh. “Why do you want to see Melanie?” Georgie asks, and for once she wishes for Jon’s ability to pull answers from people, “Look, if you’re here to drag her back—“

Helen laughs, and the laugh twists on itself until Georgie isn’t certain she isn’t laughing with it. “No, no, I’m not here for that. I don’t work at the Magnus Institute.”

“You don’t?”

“You could say I’m self employed,” Helen says, with the tone of someone telling a joke they know won’t land well but that they’ll laugh at anyway. 

Georgie yawns. The time is catching up to her, and she can’t muster up anything more than exasperation. “Then what do you need?”

“I want to know if she’s alright,” Helen admits, the echo muted. The colors of her outfit settle for a long moment before continuing their inconsistency.

“Oh,” Georgie says, “She’s... she’s doing better, without the Archives. It’s late, and she needs her rest after quitting.” They both know what quitting entails, it seems, if Helen wanted to check up on Melanie. 

Georgie isn’t oblivious or willfully ignorant, she knows Helen has gone in the direction Jon’s gone, that she’s been wrapped up in whatever dread powers blanket their lives. Melanie describing Helen as a work friend worried Georgie more than Helen’s ties to the fears, honestly. Georgie’s had clowns knocking on her door. She isn’t a stranger to all this, but she would appreciate a little warning. If Helen was here for an easy scare, she wouldn’t try to get it from someone who couldn’t feel fear. 

Helen nods. “Good. If Melanie needs a door, she knows where to ask,” Helen says.

“Alright,” Georgie replies. She’ll pass that along when it isn’t the middle of the night, but she isn’t sure what it means. 

“Goodnight. Give the Admiral a pet for me,” Helen says with a genuine smile. She steps back into an open door frame in the middle of the hall and closes the door behind her, but not before waving to Georgie. The door clicks closed, and a blink later it’s gone.

Georgie can’t bring herself to be surprised. “Goodnight,” she whispers, then quietly closes and locks the front door.

Georgie climbs back into bed, careful not to disturb her sleeping girlfriend and cat. She drifts off to sleep, and this time she doesn’t dream.

**Author's Note:**

> i just think helen and georgie should meet


End file.
